Neurocardiology - e-Booklet

The Heart Brain Learn about the heart brain. The author, pioneer neurocardiologist/researcher Dr. J. Andrew Armour details the anatomy and physiology of the cardiac nervous system in this 19-page technical monograph. Groundbreaking research in the field of neurocardiology has established that the heart is a sensory organ and a sophisticated information encoding and processing center, with an extensive intrinsic nervous system sufficiently sophisticated to qualify as a "heart brain." Armour of the University of Montreal first introduced the concept of a functional heart brain in 1991. Here he describes the anatomical organization and function of the cardiac nervous system, which comprises a complex hierarchy of nested feedback control loops organized in three regulatory levels. He details the interactions that occur among multiple populations of neurons to maintain cardiovascular stability and maximize cardiac efficiency, and also considers the role of the cardiac nervous system in various forms of heart disease. Armour discusses intriguing data documenting the complex neuronal processing and memory capabilities of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system, indicating that the heart brain can process information and make decisions about its control independent of the central nervous system. By providing an understanding of the elaborate anatomy and physiology of the cardiac nervous system, this monograph contributes to the newly emerging view of the heart as a complex, self-organized system that maintains a continuous two-way dialogue with the brain and the rest of the body.

This is a technical monograph written primarily for medical professionals, students, and researchers with a background in cardiology, neuroanatomy or neurophysiology.

Heart-Brain InteractionsThe Coherent Heart provides an in-depth discussion of heart-brain interactions and the role of the heart in organizing systemwide coherence. Includes: Theoretical Considerations, Psychophysiological Networks, Benefits of Psychophysiological Coherence and its Measurement, A Typology of Psychophysiological States, how vagal afferent traffic inhibits pain perception and affects cognitive performance, difference between respiration and positive, emotion-driven coherence and the heart's roles in emotional experience and processing.

Intended primarily for researchers, medical professionals, students of psychophysiology and related fields and laypeople who desire a deeper understanding of HeartMath's research.

The Energetic Heart: Bioelectromagnetic Interactions Within and Between PeopleBy Rollin McCraty, Ph.D.

Heart's Electromagnetic FieldThis fascinating monograph, The Energetic Heart explains the bioelectromagnetic interactions within and between people. Did you know that our physiological systems are interacting in subtle ways and the electromagnetic signal produced by your heart is registered in the brain waves of people around you? Discover why the heart's electromagnetic field is believed to act as a central synchronizing signal within the body, an important carrier of emotional information and a key mediator of energetic interactions between people. Learn more about IHM’s new research on bioelectromagnetic interactions and its implications.